Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE CPU Cooler, 6 Heat Pipes AGHP Technology, Dual 120mm PWM Fans, 1550RPM Speed, for AMD:AM4 AM5/Intel LGA 1700/1150/1151/1200/1851,PC Cooler

This air cooler was surprisingly good for the price. First of all, it was packaged very neatly and protected very well. It has a really nice, big heatsink and good fans with it. It's quiet, and comes with a lot of mounting hardware, so no matter what motherboard you have, you can use it. Although hard to get on first, it is a relatively simple set up process. Set the backplate for you motherboard under it. Put the spacers on the holes, place the retention brackets over the spacers, and then screw it in until the backplate and retention bracket are both snug against the motherboard. Take off the plastic piece from the heatsink, and then screw is onto the retention brackets. Take the fans, and position them with on ein the middle and the other on one side of the heatsink, both facing the same way and use the clips to keep them onto the heatsink. The fans also come with a splitter cable to minimize the total amount of fan headers needed. My one gripe is the fan clips. I just don't like them, they're somewhat hard to get on properly. If the fan clips were easier to get on, there would be no reason to get a different air cooler without rgb.

I recently installed three of these Thermalright fans in my new NZXT H6 Flow build, and they've been outstanding. Installation was incredibly simple thanks to the daisy-chain feature, meaning all three only took up one fan port on my ASRock B650 Steel Legend motherboard - a huge plus for cable management.Performance-wise, these fans are surprisingly quiet, even when my AMD Ryzen 7 7800X3D (cooled by a Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE ARGB) is under significant load. Most importantly, they deliver excellent temperature control, keeping my entire system consistently cool without any noticeable temperature spikes. In fact, the thermal performance is even better than some hybrid coolers I've used in previous builds.For anyone seeking effective and quiet cooling without a hefty price tag, these Thermalright fans are a fantastic choice. They have proven to be a critical component in keeping my new, fairly powerful setup (which also includes a SAMSUNG 990 EVO Plus SSD and TEAMGROUP T-Create DDR5 RAM) running optimally. The combination of easy installation, whisper-quiet operation, and superb thermal performance makes them an unbeatable value. I highly recommend them!

I've been building PCs for over a decade, and the Thermalright Peerless Assassin 120 SE is hands down one of the best air coolers I've used—especially at this price point.Pros:Outstanding cooling performance: Easily keeps my Ryzen 7 5800X under 70°C under full load. It's right up there with much more expensive coolers like the Noctua NH-D15.Quiet operation: Even under load, the included fans are whisper quiet. Idle temps are practically silent.Easy installation: The mounting system is simple and solid. Thermalright includes all necessary hardware and clear instructions.Excellent build quality: The heatsink is hefty and well-made, and the fans feel durable with no rattling or vibrations.Great value: For around $35–$40, you're getting premium-tier performance without breaking the bank.Cons:Large size: Make sure to check your RAM clearance and case dimensions. It's a big cooler, so compact builds may have issues.Plain aesthetics: It's not flashy—no RGB or aggressive design—but if you care more about performance than looks, it’s perfect.Bottom line:If you're looking for top-tier air cooling without paying premium-brand prices, the Peerless Assassin 120 SE is a no-brainer. It punches way above its weight class and is one of the best deals in PC cooling right now.

There are 2 things I wish would be different. 1) Make the RGB cable longer. My motherboard connection is at the bottom so have to wire it in front of everything until I get an extension. I blame that partially on the MB maker. 2) The 2-to1 cable for fan power is black. I ordered a white fan.Now on to the good stuff...I have a Be Quiet Dark Rock 4 Pro however, I didn't have the mounting kit for AM4/AM5. Rather than wait for weeks for the part from Germany I ordered this one. This one is better. It is quieter than the dark rock 4 pro. I did end up using my own thermal paste since the tube that came with it was more like putty and kinda hard. I fully recommend this fan over the DR4.

based on AMD Ryzen 9 cpu on an MSI mini-ITX board housed in a Thermaltake cubic desktop box - installation was pretty straightforward. The CPU temperature which was peaking at nearly 100C with the stock AMD cooler, is now down to 85C on the same games - a win! Unfortunately, the heat pipes at the top of this cooler are taller than the top cover of the Thermaltake Core V1 gaming cube case I bought a few years ago. Fortunately, there is a clear plastic window on top and I will be able to make some holes for the heat pipes to protrude, and it looks like newer Thermaltake boxes are taller. The protruding heat pipes do not seem to be critical to cooling; why did they not cut them flush with the top of the heat fins?

So I am running a Ryzen 7 5700 X and for most games the stock AMD cooler I was using did an OK job with cooling, or so I thought. Games like Cyberpunk however pushed the temps into the high 80s and even at times causes crashes. I ordered and installed this cooler today and my temps are 30 lower than yesterday on games like Cyberpunk. I am now in the high 50s and you can tell my system feels better, running every game like a dream. Even idol I am in the mid 30s which is unheard of before this cooler. I highly recommend this cooler. Amazing value for price... only tough part was getting the fans clipped on which is normal for this style. Even so just take your time.. well worth it just make sure your case has the clearance for this.